The Founder’s Guide to combat procrastination

Hey everyone,

I hope you’re doing well. In today’s newsletter, I’m sharing some unconventional approaches to productivity and tools that allow you to be an effective founder in any environment.

Here’s what we're covering:

• Framework → The Unschedule

• Tool → Krisp.ai

• Lesson → Amazing success is rarely created by being hard on yourself

• Quote → Slow is smooth, smooth is fast

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🏗️ Framework: The Unschedule

The Unschedule, a concept developed by Neil Fiore, author of The Now Habit, challenges the traditional scheduling approach. Instead of prioritizing work obligations first, it emphasizes guilt-free play and social commitments to combat procrastination and enhance motivation and work quality. Here's how it works:

• 1. Schedule guilt-free play first → Schedule fun first. Work and everything else fits around it.

• 2. Work in 30-minute increments → The key is to just get started. Once you've built momentum, it's easy to keep going. Use a stopwatch or Pomodoro timer to help.

• 3. Log your work → Record every 30 minutes of uninterrupted quality work onto your unscheduled. This gives you a greater sense of accomplishment in your day and creates a positive feedback loop between work.

Embrace the Unschedule concept to prioritize guilt-free play, work in focused increments, and achieve a healthier work-life balance. Break free from procrastination, improve work quality, and experience a more fulfilling and productive approach to your daily tasks.

🛠️ Tool: Krisp.ai

As a founder, being productive from any location is a superpower. However, remote work can be challenging when it comes to taking Zoom calls in noisy environments like coffee shops. In the past, I would seek out an office for days with heavy call loads. Now, I've discovered Krisp.ai, an app that enables me to maintain productivity and focus regardless of my surroundings.

Krisp.ai is a free tool that leverages AI to eliminate external noise. It has become my go-to solution for working in busy coffee shops and bars, allowing me to embrace a nomadic work style. With Krisp.ai, I can take Zoom calls and meetings with the same level of tranquility as if I were in a regular office setting. It's a game-changer for remote work productivity.

💡 Lesson: Amazing success is rarely created by being hard on yourself:

Being hard on yourself is destructive and often leads to anxiety, stress, and burnout. Instead, practice self-compassion even when things are difficult. This reduces stress and increases self-esteem providing the stamina needed to succeed.

Here’s how:

• Try the 45-Day Self-Love experiment (it works)

🌟 Quote: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast

The Navy Seals have a saying, "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." This principle not only applies on the battlefield but in everyday life as well. The concept suggests that in order to make real progress (grow, scale, speed up), it's essential to first slow down and focus on effectiveness.

Here’s how:

• Block 2-3 days per quarter for high-level strategy

• Block 1 hour per day for thinking time (this could be a walk, journaling, etc.)

• Wait at least 48 hours before making important decisions